Education for Dalit Children

Education for Dalit Children

For $25 a month you can send a Dalit child to school and help them break the chains of discrimination and oppression.

Education is the key to freeing Dalit children from a life of poverty and oppression. Children in our Good Shepherd Schools are being given the right to dream of a new future for themselves, their families, and their communities. Every day these schools are providing freedom and hope to Dalit children.

Your gift would allow a Dalit child to continue their education without interruption and guarantee that these children will have the opportunity to compete in the growing Indian and global economies. Give Today

Project Updates

Chelsea shares her experience meeting her sponsored child and seeing first-hand the difference that sponsorship makes for a Dalit child:

Most people don’t get the privilege of meeting their sponsor child. Last year I traveled to India and met many children in the villages we visited but two girls stood out for me. I scanned the faces on the children at the first village - would I recognize my sponsor child? I immediately recognized her! She was a part of a small dance troupe that welcomed us. The feeling I get when watching my nephew at a Christmas pageant washed over me, a familiarity of pride. The simple facts that were on her sponsorship papers came alive – her favourite subject: drawing, her favourite sport: an Indian style of wrestling.

Her name is Muskan. When I had a brief moment with her I asked her if she received mail. She replied, “Yes!” I asked if she had seen a photo of a woman on a “cycle” near the ocean, again smiled saying she recalled seeing that. I explained it was ME in those photos, and that I thought of her all the time.

To be honest I was hoping for a bigger moment – that she would have some understanding how much I prayed, how my monthly donation every month contributes to her clothing, teacher’s salary and supplies. But in reality, Muskan politely smiled and was simply thrilled with the pack of stickers and pens we brought in a goodie bag for each child. My mother used to tell me, “There’s a lot you can get done for the Kingdom, if you don’t need the credit.” A reminder that my sponsorship didn’t need fireworks, tears of gratitude or plaque of recognition.

I made a trek with DFN to a village untouched by sponsorship, where I met the second girl who impacted my trip. Rema was a young, beautiful girl, similar in age to my sponsored child. She clung to me in a very different way than the others. She had a resilient attitude; she fought with the language barrier to try to connect with me. After watching me draw, she was eager for me to draw her portrait and really focus on her. Through the translator, she told our team to leave town quickly—she said it was getting dangerous since dusk was upon us. She asked intently that I take her with me to Canada. My heart broke a little as I said that wasn’t possible, I could only pray she would soon be sponsored by DFN and have more hope in her life - this was the only time on my trip I fell asleep in tearful prayers.

The two girls stick with me still. One had been given a helping hand with sponsorship; the other still waiting for that commitment from someone here. I’m grateful for the moments I had in those villages, when the face-on-the-fridge turned into a real life hug with a little girl.

This year several of our Good Shepherd Schools celebrated Children’s Day with special activities and programs. At NDG Good Shepherd School teachers and students celebrated by raising awareness about child rights issues.

The day began with an awareness march through the village. Students carried signs and banners to promote the importance of children's rights. Following the march a program was held at the school that focused on three key issues:

Access to education

The elimination of child labour

The protection of girl children from gender specific discrimination and violence

Many parents, local leaders, and villages attended this special event. Several leaders expressed their appreciation for the work that NDG Good Shepherd School does in the local community to raise awareness about key issues.

As a Good Shepherd School graduate Saranya has the freedom to dream big. She comes from a long line of labourers - without a good education Saranya would have become a labourer too. But the direction of Saranya’s life changed when she was given the opportunity to attend our Good Shepherd School.

This past year Saranya graduated first in her class with an average of 97% in her final exams. She is currently pursing further education and her dream is to become a medical doctor. Saranya says she is most grateful to her sponsor, whose generosity allowed her to go to school and pursue her dreams.

As a 16 year old Dalit girl, Gardi is all too familiar with hardship and struggle. Her father is a farmer and even though her family is fortunate enough to own a small plot of land every day is a struggle to survive. The past few weeks have been especially difficult as the monsoon rains have caused extensive damage to their small farm. But even in the middle of such struggle this family has something to celebrate.

Gardi is in her last year at our Good Shepherd School. She is a good student and studied for her exams but she still dreaded receiving the final results. Her father, on the other hand, wasn’t worried at all. He was confident in the education she had received and believed it would give his daughter a bright future – full of opportunities that he never had. On the day her exam results were revealed, Gardi was pleased to learn that she had not only passed but received a first division standing! Her father was so happy that he threw a party and invited our school staff to thank them for all that they have done for Gardi.

We celebrate with Gardi knowing that education has helped free another Dalit child from the trap of poverty and caste discrimination. Now that’s something to throw a party for!

Rakesh Kumar Bhariya is from a poor Dalit family in North India. He lives with his two brothers and his parents. His mother is unemployed, meaning the family subsists on the meagre income earned by Rakesh's father, who repairs bicyles. Unfortunately this job does not guarantee a regular income and the family often struggles to survive.

Rakesh enrolled in the RAM Good Shepherd School in 2002, when it first opened. At this time he was in grade 1 and could not believe his good fortune in being admitted to a high-quality school. As the school was committed to families exactly like theirs, the cost of educating their son was never a burden to Rakesh's parents.

In 2012, Rakesh graduated from the Good Shepherd School. On this momentous occasion, the young man commented that he was so amazed to see how his whole life has changed thanks to the school. He expressed disbelief that he had already completed grade 10 and had done so in English, a language none of his family members have had the chance to learn. He believes that the school has changed him mentally, socially, and spiritually. Rakesh now aspires to become a doctor and serve people.

Thanks to your gift of sponsorship, thousands of children like Rakesh are having their lives transformed every day. The Dalits are today experiencing freedom through education.

Dalit children, many of whom come from shepherd families, face countless obstacles: poverty, lack of opportunity, discrimination, and oppression, to name a few. These circumstances make them extremely vulnerable to exploitation, including trafficking into the labour market or sex trade. The opportunity to attend school, however, can offer them freedom - physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

By contributing towards a child's education, you are equipping them with skills and knowledge to pursue higher education or dignified employment when they graduate. More importantly, in the classroom of a Good Shepherd School Dalit children will learn that they have value and are in fact equal to all their classmates - regardless of caste.

Please consider giving the gift of education this Christmas. For only $25/month, you can change the future - one child at a time.

Asha is a Good Shepherd School student studying in 3rd grade. She lives with her parents. Her father earns very little money, not enough to meet their daily needs. Asha’s aunt works in a factory in the nearby city and helps them financially so that Asha can go to school. When Asha joined the Good Shepherd School, she did very well learning English. She studied very hard and improved drastically in all of her classes. She recently got recognized for getting the top marks in her class.

Asmita, a Good Shepherd School student, comes from a poverty-stricken family. Her mother is too sick to care for the family, and her father drives a three-wheeled taxi to support his wife and three children. Despite hardships at home, Asmita is a dedicated student who works hard and excels in her academics and extracurricular activities. She ranked first in her class during final exams and won several prizes at the school’s Annual Day sports competitions. Asmita has high hopes to graduate from her school, attend university, and go on to medical school.

This Christmas, you can send more children like Asmita to school, giving them the gift of freedom through education. All gifts between now and December 31 will be automatically doubled through our Christmas Matching Fund.

With the 2011-12 academic year now in session, many new children have enrolled at the FRD school. 89 students are now awaiting sponsorship. Many of these children are the first in their families to receive an education, but they need committed sponsors to achieve their academic dreams. Please consider sponsoring one of these Dalit children.